Artificial wave added to World Surf Tour

The world's best surfers are headed inland in 2018, with an artificial wave being added to the World Surf League's Championship Tour.

The Surf Ranch Facility, developed by legend of the sport Kelly Slater, is said to create consistent and predictable waves at the man-made facility in the middle of California.

The addition of the stop in Lemoore is being hailed as a win for surfers, administrators and fans.

"We're only scratching the surface of how this technology can be applied and it is completely game-changing for the sport," Sophie Goldschmidt, WSL CEO, said.

"This technology, and its ability to deliver high-quality waves at any location in the world, opens so many possibilities for how we can complement and evolve the competitive experience," Kieren Perrow, WSL Commissioner, added.

A test event was conducted at the facility in September and strong support from surfers helped lead to the addition on the Tour.

"The experience of competing at Surf Ranch is pretty extraordinary," Australian surfer Adrian Buchan said.

"The ocean will always be our home, but as we grow, having the opportunity to showcase and share the stoke of surfing to new audiences and schedule with pinpoint accuracy the huge match-ups and drama of the WSL is really exciting."